START STRONG! - Jamaica Observer

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While admitting that he is feeling a bit nervous ahead of his first game in charge of Jamaica’s national senior men’s team, Head Coach Steve McClaren is urging the Reggae Boyz to deliver a strong performance against Cuba when both teams cross paths in the Concacaf Nations League today.

The Group B encounter is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 pm, with the Reggae Boyz expected to get their campaign off to a positive start. A trip to Central America ahead of what should be a stiffer test against Honduras on Tuesday will wrap up McClaren’s first assignments with his new team.

McClaren, 63, who was appointed on July 31, took charge of the Reggae Boyz for the first time on Monday and for the experienced tactician, today’s match, against what he described as a well-organised Cuban team, will provide a real audit of the Reggae Boyz’s character.

“There is always nerves, and I like that because it means that you are ready for the game, and that is what football is all about, it doesn’t matter what level,” said McClaren, the former head coach of the England national team.

“When you play, you don’t know what is going to happen because it is football. We can control the controllable, which is what we try to do. We will try to introduce one or two things, and I am going to concentrate tomorrow [today] on the performance, because if you get the performance from the players, normally you get the win, and that is what I will focus on.”

McClaren, who spent the last two years as assistant coach of English Premier League side Manchester United, explained that he has been impressed with the players’ attitude and commitment during their training sessions.

“It is a test, and the first time that I have worked with them was this week. I can’t fault their attitude and the attention they have given to detail, but it is more about focusing on the performance. It won’t be perfect, and I know that,” McClaren said. “There are going to be ups and downs, good spells, and bad spells, but I want to see just some of the things that we have worked on.”

“Tomorrow [today] is the first step, and it is a big one. We need to find a way to win but also show signs of the performance we have worked on,” McClaren added.

A victory for the Jamaicans would put them in a strong position to secure one of the two places from the group to advance to the quarter-finals of the competition, as they look to better their third-place finish from the last edition of the tournament.

McClaren expressed that he has been working intensely in training over the past few days to ensure that the Reggae Boyz maintain focus and a will to win, which has resulted in him losing his voice at times during these sessions.

“I am looking forward to it. It has been a long build-up ever since I first came over to Jamaica. It is nice getting into the camp, meeting the players, getting on the grass, and losing my voice,” he said.

“I am shouting too much, but it has been great from the first day the players came in. There’s been great energy amongst the players and great spirit, and they have shown that on the training field. We need to transfer that onto the field to get a positive result against Cuba,” McClaren emphasised.

“I am trying to be a winning coach because winning keeps you in the job, helps you develop, and helps you move forward. So I am a flexible and adaptable coach. I like the fundamentals, I like the basics. I like people knowing their jobs, doing their jobs, working hard, having a good attitude, and being hard to beat,” he stressed.

The Reggae Boyz team have been boosted with the return of their captain and goalkeeper Andre Blake, who missed this summer’s Copa America tournament due to injury. Additionally, Jamal Lowe has been recalled to the squad to replace the injured Leon Bailey.

The Reggae Boyz, who are ranked number one in the Caribbean, at 59th in the world, are currently fifth in Concacaf. Cuba is ranked 167th in the world.

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START STRONG! – Jamaica Observer

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